Things I love about summer in Italy
A non-comprehensive list of things I love about summers in Italy so that you know what to look out for if you're traveling to Italy in these months.
It’s the beginning of July and it’s definitely summer here in Italy.
Maybe it’s because I now live in Northern Italy but, over the years, summer has become my favorite season.
Not the heat and the mugginess, no, clearly, not that. But everything else warms my heart and I’m going to share some things of this season that I truly love.
Growing up in Gaeta, that happens to be blessed with lovely mild weather pretty much all year long, I enjoyed the summer but it wasn’t something that lit me up. But winters in Val Padana are another matter entirely. I know that most of you think that Italy is a sunny country but that’s not entirely true.
In winter, the northern regions go for weeks on end without sunny days and don’t get me started on the cold and the fog.
What I’m writing is a personal list of experiences and moments that make summer such a special moment.
Here we go.
The smell of fresh vegetables.
I feel so blessed that the veggies we get are seasonal. It helps live each season fully.
For me summer wouldn’t be estate without the smell of fresh tomatoes that comes out as you slice them.
The juice squirting out as you cut them, feeling the tomato pulp on your hands, washing them delicately in water, these are all priceless moments.
If you add basil to them, you practically don’t need any olive oil but if you do, it feels like an extra treat.
My absolute favorite are pomodorini ciliegini and datterini. They’re tiny and are exquisite in salads. Visually too, there’s something so beautiful and wholesome in the red of tomatoes that brightens your dish.
Long summer evenings in piazza
When it’s really warm, people go out after dinner to get some “ aria fresca”.
In my hometown, Gaeta, that would be walking along the lungomare, meeting other people desperate for some fresh air and chatting until it’s time to go to bed.
In the north, we look for the fresco in piazza. Senior citizens might take out their own chairs and sit out and watch the world go by.
Children play outdoors until their mothers go looking for them because it’s time to go to bed. The yelling of children and the gentler humming of adult conversations are the perfect summer soundtrack.
Sagre, concerti e feste patronali
Summer is the time where cities truly come to life. From June to end of August, each town hosts cultural events, book readings, meetings with authors, all outdoors
Most of them are free and are really incredible. You get to see comedians, actors, singers and writers discuss their work or perform. These meetings are usually very inspiring and fun.
Sagre are celebrations that towns hold to showcase some local specialty or even a veggie.
For example, there’s a town near Cremona that hosts at the end of summer, la festa dello scalogno ( shallot ) because that’s what they grow nearby.
It’s a great opportunity to taste all the local dishes, hear some music, maybe dance and drink some good wine.
Feste patronali can be very beautiful as well. These are celebrations in honor of the santi patroni of the town you're in.
In Italy, each town has a saint that protects it and the traditions and celebrations are always very interesting. If you happen to be in Italy, you might want to check in if where you are they’re hosting some festa patronale.
They’re rarely exclusively about religion but also showcase local culture and values and they’re a great way to get to know a place in more depth.
Cinema sotto le stelle
Summer wouldn’t be summer without open-air cinemas. They're usually reruns so it’s a great opportunity to catch up on all the movies you missed out on during the winter.
Some towns will show movies in a beautiful corner as a backdrop. Personally, I’ll be going to some of the shows more for the setting than for the actual film.
Any opportunity to get some aria fresca and hunt down that elusive brezza, is welcome.
Gelato e granita
Many of the activities I’m mentioning here combine going out in the evening to get some respite from the heat. Gelato and granita are no exception. I’m lumping them up together but of course, each is a star in its own right.
While everyone knows what gelato is, granita is probably less well-known and that’s a bit unfair.
It’s made from water, sugar, fruit and it’s never completely frozen. It’s mixed continuously in order to keep a grainy texture that is simply ideal when temperatures are soaring. I love to hold the pieces of granita in my mouth and feel them melt completely. Most bars have a machine to make them.
Ci andiamo a prendere un gelato?Ci vogliamo fare una granita? You’ll hear this ringing out every evening.
Churches, vicoli and portici
Imagine you’re forced to be out in the streets right after lunch when the town seems on fire, it’s that hot.
What I do is plan my route around churches and portici. There’s this incredible cool air that you’ll find stopping in church that beats anything air-conditioning can come up with. I stop there, take in the cool, the quiet and recharge my batteries before I dive back on my way.
There’s something stunningly beautiful about an Italian city in the glaring sun in the hottest hours of the day. The quiet and the light and then, that sudden cool air that comes from a portico.
The atmosphere is surreal. All you can hear is the sound of grilli e cicale in the air.
But my advice, whenever possible, is to simply avoid going out in the hottest hours of the day. Unless you plan staying under a portico the whole time, that is.
The beach
The beach in Italy, in summer, is so much more than the actual beach.
It’s a ritual that requires more space than this list allows. But I’ll narrow it down to one image.
Swimming to your favorite rock, possibly near the remains of an ancient roman villa while in the distance, you hear the coconut vendor yelling Cocco bello, cocco rinfrescante!
Trends come and go, time passes relentlessly but the sound of the coconut vendor has to be THE thing that is unchanged from when I was a child in the late seventies.
Playing cards
Summer is made of long hours either at the beach or at the park on the lookout for some cool air. No Italian summer would be complete without a game of cards. I’m not a big player but I love watching other people play for hours on end. Una partita a carte is the ultimate bonding experience for Italian adults.
I can’t imagine anything that screams summer more than seeing a group of elder signore sitting around a table, fan at hand, playing cards and chatting.
I’m stopping here. Not because my list is complete, quite the contrary. But I just now realized I could go on merrily listing little things I love about summer in Italy. So, I’ll force myself to stop.
For now, this will have to do.
And I’d love to know if you’ve ever been to Italy in summer, what is it that you liked about it?